Limited Life Expectancy?

Five British Expats Face Possibility of Death Before a Firing Squad for Involvement in Smuggling 4.7 Kilograms of Cocaine into Bali

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(6/2/2012)

Five expatriate Brits resident in Bali now are languishing behind bars after their arrested in connection with a failed effort to try to smuggle 4.7 kilograms of cocaine into Indonesia via Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport.

The commercial quantity of "Class A" narcotics involved in the case present the real possibility of all or some of those under arrest will be sentenced to death before a firing squad.

Police arrested 56-year old Lindsay June Sandiford on Saturday, May 19, 2012 off a flight from Bangkok with the substantial quantity of drugs concealed in her suitcase.

The woman initially claimed she was carrying drugs, with an estimated street value of US$2.5 million, because of threats made against her family.

Sandiford was spirited away and held by police at a local hotel in an effort to lure others involved in the smuggling and sale of the drugs into the open.

Closely monitoring Sandiford, her movements and her telephone calls and following leads as they developed in the case - police managed to arrest four more U.K. citizens on Friday, May 25, 2012, identified as Rachel Dougall (38), Julian Ponder (43), Paul Beales and Nanda Gophal.

Julian Ponder is reportedly the partner of Dougall with whom he shares a luxury villa in the Canggu area of Bali where their child who awaits her parent's return.

Quoted in The Jakarta Globe, Made Wijaya, the head of the Custom’s Office at Bali’s airport said, “It took eight days to reveal this case, and they are all members of very big international syndicate.”

Julian was reportedly arrested with the 4.7 kilograms of cocaine in the trunk of his car in Karangasem. A subsequent inspection of his luxury villa in Bali led to the arrest of Rache, who police claim had 45 grams of cocaine in her possession.

During that raid, police apprehended Gophal later finding 78 plastic bags containing 279.3 grams of methamphetamines in his North Bali Villa.

The final suspect, Paul, was arrested separately in Karangasem with 3.1 grams of hashish in his possession. Beales is said to be involved in real estate sales and development in Bali.

Police in Indonesia can hold suspects for up to 60 days after which they must either apply for an extension or refer a case to public prosecutors for trial.